


Freedom

by Nathamuel



Category: Uncharted (Video Games)
Genre: Bathing/Washing, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Freedom, M/M, Sibling Incest
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-01
Updated: 2016-08-01
Packaged: 2018-07-28 10:27:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,074
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7636627
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nathamuel/pseuds/Nathamuel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It felt strange, leaving the prison through the front door after a decade. Even stranger when Nathan was waiting for him by a beat up rental, looking hopeful and sad and guilty.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Freedom

It was a weird feeling. Sam stood in front of a prison guard, which was familiar after a decade of calling prison his home. A table separated them while the man showed Sam his belongings, last seen about ten years ago, which was not familiar. Sam wasn’t even sure anymore if those things really were his to begin with. Too many years, but he didn’t care when the door to the outsides was only a few feet away, through one more door and then he would be free. They could give him a bag full of junk if it only meant that he could leave this place behind.

He swallowed nervously, keeping his face blank. Don’t show fear. The bag was light when he shouldered it, mostly clothes and he said his farewell before moving toward the exit, expecting to be stopped any moment. Just a joke, you can’t leave after all, gringo. This couldn’t be real. Just a dream his mind had thought up in solitary confinement.

They had only told him that he was free to go, nothing more. No warning, no sights beforehand. They had simply gotten him out of the cell, given him street clothes to change into and send him here.  
Sam laid his hand on the door and pushed. It swung open and nothing else happened. No one stopped him. One guard even gave him a friendly nod and wished him a good life.

The sun had already been going down so it didn’t blind him when he stepped outside for the first time in ten years, or had it been nine? Eleven? 

Some paces away stood a car, lone on the otherwise empty street. 

The question of where he was supposed to go now evaporated when he saw who was waiting for him. He felt strangely numb when he looked at his brother. His belly clenched. 

Nathan had grown taller, or maybe he had filled out. There was a smile on his face, mixed with guilt and sadness.

Some of the resentment of the past years bubbled up in Sam’s belly, pushing the resignation out of the way only to be squashed down again. What had taken him so long?

Sam forced a smile on his face and gave a little wave. “Hey.”

Nathan swallowed. His smile turned a little watery which in turn made Sam’s heart unfreeze a little. “Hey,” Nathan replied.

As soon as Sam lowered his bag he had his arms full of Nathan. Startled, he dropped his bag the rest of the way to the ground to wrap his arms around him. He breathed in his scent while Nathan mumbled something into his ears. It sounded like apologies.

“Hey, hey,” Sam said and patted Nathan’s back until he let go of him again. Nathan wiped a hand over his face.

“I’m sorry,” He said and gestured to the car. It was an old rental. “You want to get out of here?”

Sam laughed. “Yes, please!” he said with more feeling than he intended.

That was another thing that felt strange and strangely pleasant after so many years. He had almost forgotten what a car smelt like. Absentmindedly he slid his hands over the upholstery and tried to ignore the looks Nathan was sending him. Nathan probably knew what was going on. After all it hadn’t been the first time either of them had spend in prison. It had just never been for so long.  
Sam was just glad to see the prison get smaller and smaller in the rear-view mirror.

They drove for a while and Sam had almost nodded off when they stopped in front of a hotel. A real hotel, not a motel that were oftentimes only one step above a shit-hole. His one was fancier than anything Sam was used to. It was a sad fact of his life that that was not saying much. At this point everything seemed fancy to Sam. 

“You sure we’re at the right place?” Sam asked him, eying the hotel. He would have preferred for them to leave the country right away, but he wasn’t sure how good his brother’s finances were. Judging by the hotel they weren’t what Sam would call bad.

“Yeah, we are. Is this alright?” Nathan looked at him, all puppy face and eyes. If there hadn’t been some resentment still sizzling in Sam’s belly he would have wanted to lean over and kiss him. Hell, he still wanted to, but after so many years he wasn’t sure how welcome he still was. For all he knew Nathan could be married with a kid.

Despite himself his gaze dropped to Nathan’s hand. There was no ring adorning it, which could mean any number of things.

“No, it’s fine. Looks expensive.” Sam finally settled on.

Nathan gave one of his half smiles. “Don’t worry about it.” He only said and Sam shrugged. 

They got out of the car and there were a couple of suspicious looks thrown his way. He supposed he didn’t really look like he belonged in a hotel that fancy. He kept his gaze sharp and his posture unassuming and nonthreatening and followed Nathan to the reception, where his brother got a key and they made their way up to his rooms.

Those were fancy as well. Clean bedroom with a queen-sized bed, a little table with two stairs in one corner, chest of drawers and wardrobe lining the other wall. Then there was a bathroom with a bathtub. Sam gave it a longing look before letting his bag fall on one of the chairs.

“So, how long till we head out?” Sam asked. 

“Our flight goes tomorrow. I thought you might want a little time before we travel back to America,” Nathan said. He looked uncomfortable now, wiping his hands on his pants like he didn’t know what to do with them. Sam couldn’t blame them. There were a couple of questions balancing on the tip of his tongue that he didn’t know how to form into cohesive words.

“Good thinking,” Sam said after a while. “As much as I want to catch up with you. Can I take a bath if you don’t mind?”

Nathan looked at him with some emotion on his face that Sam couldn’t decipher. Maybe it was longing, maybe confusion at being asked for permission. “Go wild. We can talk after,” Nathan said and gestured to the bathroom in question. 

“Sure.” Sam said and patted Nathan’s shoulder when he walked past him. Once in the bathroom he closed the door behind him and turned on the hot water. He added bubble bath and stripped out of his clothes, letting them carelessly fall to the ground. For good measure he kicked them into a corner. Then he threw a look into a mirror.

He looked old, was the first thing he thought. There were lines on his face that hadn’t been there all those years ago. His face was narrower and he looked away. He had a receding hairline for fuck’s sake.

“Hey, you alright.” Nathan asked when he came inside after a hesitant knock. Watching him through the mirror, Sam saw him swallow, looking at the bullet scars on his back.

“Yeah. Wishful thinking that I’d still look my youthful self.” Sam smirked and turned around, facing Nathan. With some mix of apprehension and excitement did he see the way Nathan’s gaze dipped over his naked self for a moment.

“It’s not so bad. We all got older.” Nathan smiled back and then held out a little device.

Sam snorted and took it from his hand. “I guess. What’s that?” He turned it between his fingers. The buttons were ridiculously small.

“It’s a music player. I thought you’d want to hear some while bathing,” Nathan told him. His face was so earnest that Sam wanted to kiss him.

“Very thoughtful of you,” Sam said and turned the device in his hand again, pressing a couple of buttons. “I got this.” He snapped when Nathan moved to take it from him again.

“Alright.” Nathan backed off. “It’s good to have you back.” He said and left before Sam could think of a reply.

It took him an embarrassingly long time to turn the thing on. Soon music filled the room and he laid it out of reach so it wouldn’t get wet before stepping into the tub.

He moaned softly when he sank into the hot water. It felt heavenly against his tense muscles. With a small pleased hum did he let his head fall back against the edge of the tub. He let the water soothe him, just listening to the music and trying not to think. 

When he opened his eyes a while later he didn’t know how late it was, but his skin was wrinkly and the water was cold. For a moment he contemplated just re-filling the tub with hot water. With a small sigh he carefully stepped out of the tub and onto the chilly tiles. Even the towel felt good against his skin, fancy and fluffy as he patted himself dry. He looked around the bathroom and carded his fingers through his wet hair. Then he brushed his teeth with one of the two toothbrushes lying in front of the mirror.

Feeling like a somewhat changed man, he left the bathroom with a towel slung around his waist.

Nathan was lying on the bed, doodling into his notebook, and there was a clean pair of boxers folded on the bed. Sam found himself smiling despite himself. In the past he had often found Nathan drawing in one of his sketchbooks. Some things didn’t seem to change. 

“Thanks,” he said when he pulled on the shorts. Nathan’s eyes were on him and he caught his gaze for a moment. Now that he had a bath and the fact of his freedom was ever so slowly sinking in he felt better already.

“Don’t mention it,” Nathan said. He wasn’t wearing a shirt either, only shorts like Sam. “I hope you don’t mind us sharing?” He patted the bed beside him. It was big enough for the both of them.

“Yeah, it’s fine,” Sam said and slipped under the thin sheets. His shoulder brushed against Nathan’s. He was drawing him.

“I thought you were dead,” Nathan said after a while, breaking the silence between them. Something twisted in Sam’s chest and he had to close his eyes. Then he let his forehead fall against Nathan’s shoulder.

“I thought you had forgotten me.” Sam replied and saw Nathan lay his notebook to the side. 

“Never. It’s just, I called everyone, I wrote letters, everything I found said you were dead. It was only a couple of weeks ago that someone told me you were alive.” Nathan said and his face was so earnest and sad that Sam found himself cupping it between his hands.  
There was no resistance when he pulled that face towards himself and kissed it.  
Nathan sighed against his mouth.

“I’m sorry,” Nathan mumbled when they pulled apart.

“It’s alright. You couldn’t have known. I tried to send letters as well, you know, didn’t really work out,” Sam said and pulled Nathan into his side. “Can we talk tomorrow?” he asked and on Nathan’s confirmation he pushed at Nathan until they were lying side by side on the bed. It only took a moment’s hesitation to wrap his arms around Nathan.

Their chests were pressed together and Nathan slipped his thigh between his. Sam sighed softly and pressed his face to Nathan’s hair, exhaling when Nathan’s thigh curiously nudged upwards. In his shorts, his cock hardened at the contact, the friction when Nathan slowly moved back and forth. 

“Do you want to?” Nathan asked against his throat and Sam found himself shaking his head.  
The arousal felt nice, a low thrum in his belly but he was so _tired_ and prison was still too close. Too many bad memories hiding just around the corners of his mind. He just wanted to lie here with Nathan, holding him close and _sleep_ , forget that the last ten years had happened to him.

“Alright.” Nathan said and didn’t make any move to put distance between them. Instead he wrapped his arms more comfortably around Sam.

“Tell me about what I’ve missed.” Sam mumbled, sleep already tugging at him, but he resisted it for a little while longer.

Nathan began to talk.

**Author's Note:**

> Please consider leaving a kudos if you enjoyed :)


End file.
